Documentum – EMC World 2015 – Momentum – Prepping for the Show

Next week, May 4^th through May 8^th, EMC World and the smaller component for Documentum (formerly IIG and now ECD ) Momentum will again be in Las Vegas again at the Venetian.  TSG has attended all the U.S. Momentum’s since the 1996 inaugural event in Miami (19 and counting).  For those attending, we thought we would provide some thoughts based on our experience.   Look here next week for our thoughts throughout the conference.

Momentum 2014 – Recap

One of our most popular posts is our 2014 EMC World Momentum Recap.   Overall, we thought 2014 was more predictable than previous Momentum events, and that was a good thing for clients.  Some items from our recap:

• “Building a bridge to the third platform” was the major theme.
• Predictable releases for D2, xCP and Webtop interfaces.
• Announcement of InfoArchive – would expect more traction this year as this was a growing area for ECD.
• Announcement of APaaS (Application Platform as a Service) – this was an architecture approach based on EMC Pivotal. We would expect follow-up around APaaS as it was just Powerpoint-ware last year.

What has changed this year?

Some big items that have changed this year include:

1. Rohit Ghai replaces Rick Devenuti – 2015 will be different as it is the first Momentum for the new ECD (Enterprise Content Division – new name for IIG and includes the Documentum product set) leader Rohit Ghai who replaces Rick Devenuti.   We would expect that Rohit might bring more energy and vision as Rick’s keynotes  have been rather flat in the past.  We are interested to see how Rohit drives the product roadmap.
2. Turnover in ECD Sales – Rumor has it that there are lots of new faces – How will it affect the tone of the presentations?
3. EMC Issues – Joe Tucci is rumored to be at the end of his long tenure at EMC. Back in 2012, Joe said he would remain in charge until early 2015.  We have always said that Documentum will remain a part of EMC as long as Joe is in charge.  With EMC earnings trending lower, will more rumors of Joe and Documentum being spun off emerge?
4. Annotation Chaos – As IGC, the creator of Brava, was bought by OpenText  and Documentum is discontinuing PDF Annotation Services, many clients are looking for changes to their annotation capabilities.  Will IGC/Brava be in the expo space?  We like to throw in a plug for OpenAnnotate as we have seen lots of traction with our product but expect to see Snowbound capitalize on the move as well.
5. Documentum 8, APaaS and InfoArchive – with the InfoArchive announcement, APaaS discussions as well as the Roadmap Discussion, we noticed that there was no roadmap for Documentum 8. At the time we thought it was probably a good thing for Documentum to stabilize.  With another year under the belt of InfoArchive, will ECD focus on Documentum 8 or will APaaS come to market?
6. After-hours party? – One of the best parties has always been Beach Street’s after hours bash. Will it still go on with Beach Street purchased recently by Flatiron?

Thoughts for Attendees

Typically we will make predictions about what to expect.  Switching it up this year Some of our experience/thoughts while attending include:

• Roadmap and Vision – These are the sessions in the past that fill up quickly (you have to get there early) and are typically the slides that are not shared. Expect tons of phones popping up to take pictures.  As we have mentioned for 2013 and 2014, Documentum has improved their roadmap as they are not promising sweeping changes that are quickly abandoned as the Universal Client Interface was in 2012 and Cisco Social and even Box integration at earlier events.  Documentum has been good about hitting their dates and their users have been pushing for small incremental changes and less volatile product updates.  While the slides seem to never be available, ECD has been good about posting key announcements and dates in the community so don’t go too crazy with the phone camera.
• Product or Solution – Make sure to distinguish what is a software product (you can buy and install yourself) versus what is a solution (you need ECD consulting resources). DEMA is the Documentum Enterprise Migration Appliance announced in 2013 that, while it sounds like a product, in the past has been a consulting solution only available to Documentum Consulting and leaves the customer when Documentum Consulting leaves.  Most of the discussions around SharePoint also involve Solutions rather than Products.
• Ask “How Much?” – Too often, users see new products or roadmaps but don’t factor in the cost component. When D2 was revealed in 2012, lots of clients mistakenly thought they would get credit for their Webtop licenses, something that was never stated but seemed plausible.  Last year, during InfoArchive sessions, clients were asking as it is not a product driven by users but by content.  Whether in the sessions, hanging out in the lounge or on the exposition floor, ask how much things typically cost to get an idea of price and value.
• Network – between sessions, ask questions to presenters and provide your input. Sometimes the best information can be obtained after sessions rather than during.
• Expo Hall – Typically the Documentum partners are hidden in a back corner. Do spend the time to talk to the partners and get their thoughts on all things Documentum.
• Leverage the Lounge – Most of the time between sessions, the Momentum Lounge for the Alumni attendees is a great place to sit, charge up your PC and/or mobile devices or simply catch-up.
• Don’t video the boats at the Venetian!!!! – Okay, way off track here but my pet peeve is seeing tourists taking video of the fake Gondolas. The Venetian is not Venice and no one wants to see video of a boat ride through a shopping mall.

Summary

Momentum is still a great event and I am always amazed by how many old contacts I reconnect with during the conference.  If you have thoughts on the blog or would like to meet and get my opinion on anything, email me at inquiry [at] tsgrp.com or add your comments to my Momentum posts.  I would love to catch-up with other alumni and long-time attendees.